How O.J. Simpson's Car Chase Led To Record Sales At Domino's Pizza

Reuters
More than 95 million viewers tuned in to watch O.J. Simpson evade police in a white Ford Bronco.

The famous incident, which happened 20 years ago today, was also the busiest day Domino's Pizza ever had, though the record has been eclipsed as the company has grown.

Thanks to captivated audiences' refusal to leave their televisions, Domino's would report record sales on June 17, 1994.

"We benefited from the fact that it was essentially 'dinner time' on the West Coast and late evening on the East Coast," Tim McIntyre, vice president of corporate communications for Domino's, told Business Insider.

"People were so enthralled by the bizarre nature of what was happening, they didn't want to miss a moment, so instead of going out to dinner or making dinner, many people ordered pizza," he said.

McIntyre said the event was as big as a Super Bowl Sunday, although he declined to provide sales figures from the day.
Jean-Marc Giboux | Getty Images

Domino's has doubled its retail locations since 1994, with more than 10,000 stores around the world.

But McIntyre said he does not attribute the success to any fame gained from the Simpson car chase.

"Other than our being mentioned in the media on every 10 th anniversary of this odd event, it had no impact on our brand whatsoever," he said. "We're certainly not going to give O.J. Simpson any credit for the success we enjoy in our global brand today. It was a bizarre blip, and nothing more."